How to Start a Gift Basket Business
You’ve seen them in department stores, boutiques and gift shops… or possibly sent and received them yourself. They are beautiful and brimming with unique gifts and tasty treats. They are a more personalized gift than balloons, and more practical than sending flowers.Of course we’re talking about gift baskets, a hot trend in gift-giving these days. And behind the scenes, another major trend is emerging – people who choose to start a gift basket business are launching one of the fastest-growing types of businesses today.Gift basket businesses are starting up all over the country, and with good reason. Not only is the work fun and creative, but you can also start a gift basket business easily from home, by setting up a small space where you design and build your gift baskets.You also have unlimited potential to grow when you start a gift basket business. “I launched my [gift basket] business selling $20,000 in baskets that first holiday season. The business doubled year after year, and has continued to grow substantially,” says gift basket business owner Cherie Reagor, twice named Designer of the Year by the gift basket industry.The process for starting a gift basket business is not complicated, but you do have some important steps to follow. Here’s some advice from the FabJob Guide to Become a Gift Basket Owner to help you take your idea of starting a gift basket business from concept to reality.1. Plan and PrepareTo start a gift basket business, you first need to learn about the gift basket industry. Study other gift basket businesses, and see what they have to offer. How many types of gift baskets do they have for sale? What items are included in them? When you know what other gift basket businesses are offering, then you can plan how your business will be similar, and what you will do differently to be unique.To build your gift basket making skills, you can take some classes at a local craft store, buy some good how-to books, and practice making as many baskets as you can for friends and family.2. Buy Supplies and EquipmentYou don’t need a large amount of supplies and equipment to start a gift basket business, but you will need some basics. A few pairs of sharp scissors will be essential, and you may also need a glue gun and wire cutters. You’ll also need to purchase some cello or shrink wrap, baskets or other containers, ribbon, bows, and some decorative shred, and you’ll be ready to start filling your gift baskets with goodies. Don’t forget to buy shipping supplies (i.e. boxes and tape) if you will be sending your gift baskets by courier.3. Set up Your Work SpaceDecide where you will create your gift baskets, and ensure that you have adequate lighting, as well as storage for the supplies and inventory required to start a gift basket business. You’ll also want to invest in a workbench or table when you can spread out supplies and make gift baskets at a comfortable height.If you will include food items in your gift baskets, they should be stored in airtight containers with the expiration dates marked. Depending on where you live, local laws may also regulate how food items for your gift baskets must be handled and stored.4. Buy Gift Basket ItemsYou’ll want to purchase a nice variety of gift items to start a gift basket business. Keep your purchases versatile if you can, meaning that they can be used in more than one style of gift basket. When you first start a gift basket business, stay away from buying too many gift items that won’t sell after a certain season (e.g., candy Santas), or whose shelf life may expire before you can use them up. You can order wholesale gift items at a deep discount.Gift basket business insiders know that there are reputable businesses that will make and ship gift baskets on your behalf. All you have to do is land the orders! If your time or start-up money is limited, this can help you start a gift basket business easily and economically.5. Market Your Gift Basket BusinessWhen you are ready to start selling gift baskets, you’ll want to let the public know. You can advertise your gift basket business, although ads may be too expensive when you first start a gift basket business. Instead, consider press releases and other low-cost marketing strategies such as referrals. Online directories and a website for your gift basket business will also help generate and increase sales. In fact, many gift basket businesses allow their clients to browse and buy gift baskets directly online.
Employment Law Advice for Small to Medium Businesses
For those of you who are starting a business or to existing business owners, the rules surrounding employment law can become very complicated when you are looking to employ other people. However, as difficult as it may be, it is important for you to become familiar with these rules in order to comply with you legal responsibilities as an employer. Different laws will apply to different countries, so it is essential to become aware of the laws that will be applicable to you so that you can protect your business and prevent any future litigation. Here are some main areas of employment law that you will need to be familiar with.Contract of EmploymentIt will be necessary to provide your employees with a written statement of the terms of employment when they start their employment with you. The main topics you would need to account for within the terms of employment, include, the name of the parties to the agreement, job description, hours of work, details of pay, both employer and employee obligations, place of work and holiday pay entitlement. Although this list is not complete and you may want to add some extra terms that may be relevant to your business. This ensures both you and your employees are fully aware of the obligations under the contract of employment. Should any disputes arise in the future, you can always refer back to the contract of employment in support of your case.DiscriminationIt is important to become aware of discrimination laws, as damages awarded for unlawful discrimination can be high. As an employer you should do all that you can to prevent unlawful discrimination at your place of work. Do not discriminate against someone because of their race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or if they have a certain disability. This can also apply when you are advertising and interviewing candidates for job roles. You should select those candidates based on the specific skill required for that job. Try to ensure that you provide equal opportunities to all your workers.Vicarious LiabilityAs an employer, you will be legally liable for the acts of all of your staff. So it is important to take any complaints of bullying or harassment from other workers seriously and investigate them thoroughly. Ensuring you have a grievance procedure in place for dealing with these sorts of issues will also be useful.Minimum WageWithin some countries, employers are under a legal duty to pay their workers the national minimum wage. Usually, this is worked out based on the workers age and what year they started employment with you. If you already have a contract of employment in place that pays below the minimum wage, the contract will not be legally binding, so it is always best to check if you are complying with these rules.Health and Safety in the WorkplaceIt is the employer’s responsibility to ensure a safe, working environment is maintained for all workers and members of the public that enter the premises. It is therefore wise to carry out a thorough risk assessment of the work place as well as for each employee and comply with all health and safety regulations, to avoid any negligence claims. The assessments you chose to carry out will depend on the nature of your business, even simple tasks such as ensuring spillages are cleaned up, signs are placed clearly indicating any potential hazards, providing protective clothing and storing hazardous substances appropriately will help to avoid negligence claims.Although employment law sounds like a minefield, being aware of the rules and seeking advice could go a long way to help protect your business. There are lots of resources online that may help you with this and if you are really confused, prevention is always better and seeking out advice from employment law specialists might work better for you.
Career Opportunities For Distance MBA in Materials Management
The building blocks of any finished product, materials are integral for the smooth functioning of any organization’s supply chain. They range from standard raw materials and spare parts to assemblies and high-end tools & machinery that are used in an industry’s production process. Choosing the right source of material is an important consideration here as it influences the latter’s quality, price and accessibility – features that play an important role in determining whether an end product can be manufactured in abundance and if it is able to achieve its desired specifications of timely delivery, quality output, optimal pricing and customer value proposition. Equally important for an organization is the need to avoid excess or shortage of inventory by ensuring that only the right quantity and quality of material is stored in the warehouse at any point in time and is made available for use at the right time and at the right price.Considering that manufacturing firms invest more on their materials than on any other inputs, effective management of materials becomes crucial for an organization in order to curtail its manufacturing cost and to boost its profitability and ROI (Return on Investment).What is Materials Management?Materials Management deals with the systematic planning, organizing, directing, control and coordination of the various activities that govern the movement of materials from their source of supply to their intended destination. The primary objective of this is to provide an uninterrupted supply of the necessary component parts that are essential for producing or delivering the final product or service. The broad field concerns every aspect of materials ranging from the timely ordering, inspection and quality control of spare parts and replacements to the logistics involved in their shipping, warehousing, distribution and disposal.With increasing focus on environmental safety and sustainability, the need to preserve sparingly available resources and to explore renewable alternatives has gained more prominence than ever before. This field also emphasises on this area by undertaking environment-friendly measures in the form of reduction of harmful emissions and hazardous waste, recycling etc. while simultaneously enhancing the overall aesthetics of the surrounding area or locality.Since it is a vast field, its scope often varies from one establishment to the other. Certain organizations consider the procurement of materials as one of the key responsibilities of this function while others have a separate purchasing department to oversee the sourcing activities. Many large-scale companies rely upon sophisticated ERP systems to bring in more transparency, accuracy and efficiency to their elaborate materials management process while small enterprises make do with ordinary spreadsheets for tracking and controlling their material flow.Role of a Materials Management ProfessionalAs a materials management professional, you can expect to be involved in any or all of the activities that comprise the end-to-end process of it. Typical roles and responsibilities include materials planning and need identification, scheduling and timely release of orders, procurement of raw materials, receipt, inspection and storage of the delivered items, inventory control, and issuance of materials and removal of scrap. Selecting appropriate vendors, sourcing best quality goods at optimal prices, maintaining cordial vendor relations, establishing standardized procedures and optimizing the demand and supply chains are few of the other responsibilities that are usually part and parcel of a materials management analyst’s job role.Career Opportunities Post Completion of a Distance MBA in Materials ManagementSince materials are non-negotiable for both private and public sectors, hence, steering your career in materials management is tantamount to rewarding job opportunities and attractive pay packages. A specialization in this field can help you bag materials management jobs in leading manufacturing firms, retail/e-commerce/supply chain/FMCG/ service/packaging/railways/shipping/aviation/logistics industries, transport & purchasing companies, government departments, defence, corporate houses and industrial establishments amongst others. You can choose to venture into operations, strategy, project management or consulting roles and explore job titles as diverse as Logistics Director, Inventory Manager, Materials Manager, Materials Analyst, Store Manager, Vendor Manager, Sourcing Manager, Supply Chain Manager, Procurement Manager, Stock and Inventory Head etc. In order to increase your chances of employment in this domain with immense potential, it is important that you equip yourself with a professional material management course from a reputed educational institute that is globally recognised and famed for its innovative course curriculum.